ATLANTA — There’s a call for police accountability in the City of Atlanta after recent headline-grabbing incidents including a fatal off-duty late-night shooting, a bar fight, and an alleged rape by an officer on the clock.

Atlanta City Councilmember Eshe Collins says it seems some kind of reform is warranted.

Devin Barrington-Ward, with the National Police Accountability Project contends there is a culture problem within the Atlanta Police Department and believes violators know they’ll be shielded from wrongdoing.

“These are not bad apples. This is an indication that the barrel is rotten,” Barrington-Ward insists.

Deputy Chief Jason Smith gave public safety committee members an update saying the department does hold violators accountable, as in the incident of the accused rapist, who was immediately benched until an investigation led to his arrest and firing.

Smith tells lawmakers the APD follows clear guidelines.

“In the specific case you talked about of Muhammad Muhammad, the second we found out about those allegations, he was removed from the street,” Smith says. “We did the investigation. We ended up charging him.”

He adds that no one is above the law, including members of APD.

WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.